Oh to be 3!

My brother and his family came out for Christmas and the week following.  He has a 3-year-old daughter.  Aislinn LOVES pink, and princesses, and anything girl.  And, she's hilarious.  She definitely has her own little personality that no one can match.  There's a "beautiful" princess dress at my house in the dress up box.  I rarely saw Aislinn out of this dress.  She couldn't go outside in it (which is okay, because it's December so she didn't go outside much), and she didn't sleep in it.  Seriously, though, my brother and sister-in-law could have saved room and only packed a couple outfits for her for the week and a half long trip.  But, with a dress this beautiful, why not wear it all the time?

Merry Christmas!

It was a great Christmas!  I really enjoyed it being on Sunday this year.  Christmas morning was crazy with lots of people...everyone was home.  I got a 14" bronze Joseph Smith statue.  I love it!  And, it was a total surprise!

Another really fun surprise was from my sister...

Yep, there's another baby coming!  I'm so excited!!!
After church, we went to my Uncle's house in Morgan for dinner.  What a great day...I hope your's was wonderful as well.

Home Alone

Here's one more movie to add to the list...absolutely classic!

White Christmas

What would my Christmas movie list be without White Christmas?  I cannot watch this movie without thinking of the boys in Choraliers (my 9th grade show choir) singing the song "Sisters" in falsetto, a bow clipped on their heads, a sash around their waists, and feather dusters in their hands.  Good memories!  This movie is also high on my favorite list.  I usually watch it multiple times between October and Christmas every year.

Scrooge Night

Probably my favorite Family Home Evening of the entire year falls in December.  It used to be the first Monday in December, now it's the last Monday before Christmas.  The evening is called "Scrooge Night."  It started about 20 years ago when my Aunt Sherie and her family moved into a house just down the street from mine.  We got together and watched the movie Scrooge.  It is a musical version of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol starring Albert Finney.  It's amazing.

I love the music so much, and just like I feel with any music, I think it adds so much to the story.  Scrooge explains his own personality in a song called "I Hate People."
People are despicable creatures
Loathesome inexplicable creatures
Good-for-nothing kickable creatures
I hate people! I abhor them!
...
Little wonder I hate people
And I don't care if they hate me!

Bob Cratchit and two children sing a song called "Christmas Children" (high on my favorite list) as they prove to us that Christmas doesn't require a lot of money.

Christmas children live in a Christmas daydream

Waiting for the magic to unfold

Wondrous things to eat

Every Christmas treat

Rich or not the Christmas pot of gold

Hypnotizes children young and old

The love story between Scrooge and Isabel during the time with the Ghost of Christmas Past is accompanied with a song entitled "Happiness."

They say happiness

Is a thing you can't see

A thing you can't touch

I disagree

Happiness is standing beside me

I can see him

He can see me

Happiness is whatever

You want it to be

The Ghost of Christmas Present convinces Scrooge to join him in singing a song called "I Like Life."

I like life here and now

Life and I made a mutual vow

Till I die, life and I,

We'll both try to be better somehow

And if life were a woman she would be my wife

Why? Because I like life!

And as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come visits, the people who know Scrooge sing the song "Thank you Very Much" as they celebrate his death.
Thank you very much
Thank you very much
That's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me
It sounds a bit bizarre
But things they way they are
I feel as if another life's begun for me
And if I had a canon I would fire it
To add a sort of celebration touch
But since I left me canon at home
I simply have to say:
Thank you very, very, very much
Thank you very, very, very much

Oh, great music!  I recommend the movie because of the wonderful music.

Then to add to the great movie and music, we have a wide array of fantastic food...Chex mix, relish trays, french bread with spinach artichoke dip, crackers and a cheese ball (which I have been craving for a few days), many other foods, and homemade hot wassail.  I had a snack before we started, and basically ate a dinner of yummy Scrooge Night foods.

I can't really explain Scrooge Night in words.  It really is something that must be experienced to fully understand it.  Just know that it's my favorite.  I look forward to it every year.

Memory Movies

Today, I watched movies that I watched as a little girl.

First, it was Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

After that was over, we watched A Muppet Family Christmas.
This one we watched on youtube.  The movie is so hard to find these days, but one day, I will actually own it. :)

Tabernacle Choir

Tonight, I was able to go to the Tabernacle Choir concert with my friend, Aaron.  It was awesome!  I always love when I have the opportunity to attend one of these concerts.  These tickets came from a friend in my ward. Apparently, her parents got a lot, and needed people to take them, so Kaitlin offered them to me.  I am so glad I got to go.

The set they had this year was beautiful...(and if you look closely, and know where to look, my friend Josh is in the Orchestra...he plays the trumpet.  It was fun to go when he was there performing.)

The soloist they had this year was Nathan Gunn.  He's basically amazing.  He was pretty entertaining as he was talking with the audience and has an amazing voice.  He sang a version of "'Twas the Night before Christmas" which was a lot of fun.  Another one I enjoyed that he sang was a medley of Winter songs which included "Winter Wonderland," "White Christmas," and "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!"

The other special guest was the actress Jane Seymour.  She narrated the Christmas Story in Luke 2, as well as one of my favorite numbers of the night, "Good King Wenceslas."  I had never really heard the story before, but it was amazing, and I now absolutely love the song.  King Wenceslas was such a kind, giving King.

My favorite effect during this story and song was the snow they had coming from the ceiling.  It added a magical touch to the story.

What an amazing concert!  I just love it!  After the concert, we walked around looking at the lights on Temple Square.  It's one of my favorite things at Christmas time...even if it is a little cold outside...and tonight, it was definitely cold!  But, I love nights during the Christmas season like tonight.  It was wonderful!

Ice Skating!

I went ice skating tonight.  I haven't been ice skating in years.  I was pretty intimidated, but Michael was awesome and helped me.  I fell down once...but only because someone cut us off...and now my hand hurts a lot.  Hopefully that goes away soon.

After ice skating, we watched another Christmas movie.  Tonight's movie was Miracle on 34th Street.  It's one of my favorites.

Muppet Christmas Carol

Tonight's movie was The Muppet Christmas Carol.  I have only seen this one time before tonight, and really, we just talked throughout the whole thing...

New skirt

Have you ever wanted an item of clothing for a really long time and finally, you get it? I definitely know this feeling. The most recent thing I wanted was a long, plaid skirt. I wanted a cute skirt that was wintery and warm. I finally got one this weekend and wore it for the first time today. And yes, I love it. I'm definitely pleased with my purchase. It just excites me to look down and see it. :) One thing I love about being a girl is that I can get overly excited about new clothes!

The Polar Express

I have a new favorite word. Actually, it's probably not really a new favorite, I've loved it for a long time. My love for this word started approximately 4 and a half years ago while reading my scriptures. I came across a couple verses in which it is repeated many times. I pondered these verses, specifically this word, for days.

I love the book and movie The Polar Express. This story is so wonderful. I've loved it since I was a little girl. I was so excited when they made a movie out of it. It's a wonderful movie, and am reminded every time I watch it how much I love it.

One thing about this movie that I have come to really love the last four and a half years is that it uses this favorite word. In fact, there's an entire song named with this word. The word is Believe. What an amazing word. I can't describe what the word does for me, but it works wonders in my heart, and I love it.

I love the last line of this book and movie: "At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe."

This is a great time to think about those things that you really believe in, and what greater reminder than an amazing children's book and movie. What bell still rings for you?

The Grinch

Tonight we watched the Jim Carrey version of The Grinch.  I think I like the cartoon better...

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Tonight called for a Christmas movie, but it had to be a short one.  So I decided on Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  ...the cartoon one.

Good Morning!

This is what I saw when I walked out to the parking lot this morning...

Festival of Lights

What a great start to the Christmas season. After work today, a group of us got together and went to the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork. We climbed on a trailer with hay (I bundled up to make sure I stayed warm) and enjoyed the lights to start off this wonderful time of year.

After seeing the lights, we went back to Jen's house and watched Elf. What a fun night!

Thanksgiving Dinner

I ate way too much food today for dinner. I was determined to make a point (to people who shall remain un-named) that I can, in fact, eat a lot of food, but I half-way regret it. I felt pretty miserable afterwards and could hardly move. I did eat a lot though and better be able to make my point, and of that, I am proud. However, I am reminded of why I don't eat a lot on a normal basis...my stomach is just too small and doesn't want to hold a lot. But that's okay, because if I don't eat too much, there's just that much more for you, right?

In an attempt to make this point, I decided I should take pictures. Because of my usual inability to eat a lot, I thought that in order to prove it, I had to have good evidence, and a picture is the best I could come up with. So, see for yourself...

Before I started eating...

Once I couldn't eat any more...

Pie came about two/two and a half hours later. Honestly, I didn't feel the need to eat the pie, except that I can't have a Thanksgiving without at least one slice of Pumpkin Pie. And after all that amazing food, I don't feel like I need to eat for days...

Until next season...

Yesterday was the last home BYU football game for the season. I'm pretty sad about it. The season has gone way too fast. There are still a couple more games left...Hawaii in 2 weeks and the bowl game, but they aren't here. It was a fun game...very cold...but still fun.

And I got to spend some time with Jared. I haven't watched a game with him since we had seats together in 2009. It was so much fun to have him around this time. I love my cousins!

Getting cold...

Last night was a freezing cold, late football game.

The previous game was in the middle of the day, and it was warm. We were lucky enough to sit by an end with shade, and that's where we were for most of the 4th quarter.

Last night, I bundled up in layers and layers and still managed to freeze. Ok...really, it was my fingers and my toes that froze, but that's enough to make one miserable. I did, however, find the opportunity to wear the hat I crocheted for football games this year. That was lots of fun.

It's a good thing I love football, otherwise the night would have been miserable.

Love these two!

Today was the most fun wedding I've been to in a long time. This is how the day went:

Get to the temple and inches of snow. It was beautiful, but really cold and heels were very hard to walk in.

After the sealing, we took pictures in the snow...again, very cold.

The luncheon and reception were at Eldredge Manor. For lunch, I was at a table right by the window. This is the view I had of outside...beautiful Fall colors with a touch of snow...just beautiful!

Before the reception, we took pictures. The girls were first, and then we went inside to warm up. We did, however, want to watch the boys, so we did...I'm not sure they saw us, but we definitely had fun creeping on them. :)

Then we wanted to watch as James and Katie got pictures taken...again from inside because outside was freezing!

I stole a minute during a break of the line to get a quick picture with the wonderful couple. Seriously, two of my favorite people. I'm so glad I got to be part of their day! I just love them.

We played and played all night. We bridesmaids were crazy, but we definitely had lots of fun.

12:30

This is what happens when the boys walk the girls home at 12:30 at night and come across a shopping cart.

It's like a bunk bed for shopping carts!

Fall Hike

I've been wanting to go on a hike, or have a bonfire, or anything to enjoy the crisp fall air and beautiful fall colors. I finally got my chance yesterday. It was wonderful.

There was some ice for our enjoyment...

We found an awesome little hut...

Aaron and Michael were a little weird (no surprise there)...

Aaron trying to be arrogant...

Even though most of the leaves had fallen, it was still so great to be outside enjoying the fall! I wish this season lasted a little bit longer.